MR-guided percutaneous ethanol injection for hepatocellular carcinoma in a 0.2T open MR system

The purpose of this work is to describe our experience with single-session percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) under the guidance of 0.2-T open MRI for hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) that were not suitable for ablation under ultrasound (US) or computed tomography (CT) guidance. None of the lesions (N = 7) were detectable on US. MRI was chosen over CT as the guidance modality because the nodules were located in the hepatic dome (N = 4) or were invisible on noncontrast CT (N = 3). All of the nodules were targeted successfully, and apparently complete tumor necrosis was achieved in six nodules (86%). During a follow-up of one to 41 months, only one patient developed local recurrence four months after PEI. MR-guided PEI is feasible and effective for treating HCC when other imaging guidance methods are not appropriate.